How to Put On Your Bras – Braducational Video

By Linda The Bra Lady on May 24th, 2013

Hey there! It’s Kim from Linda’s 😀 I’ve been a bra fitter for many years. When helping customers, I usually help women get into each of their bras, and focus on how it fits, and help adjust each bra. But after awhile, I started letting the customer put on her bra or adjust herself… and was quickly horrified. You wouldn’t believe the crazy things I saw, and the bra mistreatment that I witnessed. From the “crush and flip”, to putting it on over their head (for real – a young woman fastened her bra and then attempted to stretch the bra over her head and shoulders), to yanking up the straps…no good! Most women don’t think twice about putting on their bra. But putting it on wrong can actually stretch out your bra, dent cups, and ruin underwires. So if you want to help your bras last longer, and learn how to properly adjust your cups and straps: read on! Learn how to put on your bra…

There are two methods that I recommend for putting on a bra. If you didn’t learn to put your bra on this way (I didn’t!), it may take some practice to get the hang of it. Personally, it took me a few months to feel comfortable putting my bra on this way, but now I don’t even have to think twice about it! In fact, when I compliment a woman in the dressing room, and tell them “Oh, I’m so glad you put your bra on the right way!”, they look at me and ask: “Is there another way?”. Putting on your bra is something most of us do every morning, so getting used to this new habit will become so easy, you won’t even think about those “other ways” to do it. And trust me, it’s worth it!

Method 1: Straps First

Step One: Slip on your straps With the cups facing outward and the bra in front of you, slip on each bra strap. Tip: If your bra is brand new, the straps may be tightened all the way. You may want to loosen them a bit. If they’re too short, it’s going to be really hard to hook the back! You can always tighten them up later on.

Step 2: Get your bust in the cups Using the base of the cups, gently pull the bra down underneath your bust. Your bust should be inside the wire, and your breast tissue should fill up your cup. Tip: If you have heavy, full or sagging breasts, you can lean forward to help get all of your tissue up and in the wire.

Step 3: Hook the back Once your breasts are inside the cup, reach the bra band around and hook it in the back. Try to keep the band close to your body to avoid stretching it. Did I just lose you? Don’t panic! Like I said, this method takes practice if you’re not used to doing it. For back closures with rows or columns of hooks, I like to use my fingers to find each individual hook and eye and hook them one at a time, feeling my way as I go. If you’re unable to reach your arms behind you like this, take a look below for an alternative method to putting on your bra. Tip: Sometimes breast tissue can be sneaky and try to spill out the sides, getting in the way of your underwire. No good! Your breast tissue will make it hard to hook the back, so be sure it’s all safely in the cup. You can even use your hands to guide each breast in front of the underwire before hooking the back. And remember, a new bra should fit nice and snug on the loosest hook. That way, as your bra stretches (it will!), you can move the hooks in to achieve the same supportive fit. Step 4: Adjust your bra After you’ve hooked your bra, it’s time to make some adjustments. You can’t just slap on your bra and hope that everything is in its proper place. This is what I call “putting them where you want them”. By “them”, I mean your boobs. Again, breast tissue has a tendency to try to slip to the sides while you’re putting your bra on – so put it where it belongs! Use your hands to guide the underwire back and the breast tissue forward. Remember, the underwire should rest just around your breast: never on it, far below or behind it, or digging into your body. After you’ve guided the breast tissue inside the wire, your nipple will usually be right in the center of the cup. You can gently re-place the top of your bra cup on top of your breast tissue.Don’t forget to tighten loose straps if you loosened them in the beginning. A good rule of thumb for an elastic strap: if you can easily get your strap to your ear, it’s too loose! Remember, if your bra fits properly, it will be snug enough to stay in place after this initial adjustment. But loose or ill fitting bras will roam around all day, requiring constant adjustments.

Tip: Your bra band provides about 90% of your bra’s support. That means you shouldn’t need to tighten straps so tight that they’re digging in or causing pain. With a snug band, the strap’s job is to keep your bra cup flush on your body (not falling forward or away) and give a little bit of lift.

Ta-da! You look fabulous!

Method 2: Hook on the Side

Step 1: Hook your bra With your cups facing outward, wrap the bra band around your waist and gently hook your bra on your side. Hooking it on the side, as opposed to in front of you, is better for your bra. Your bra back will have less of a distance to travel (read: stretch out) from your side to your back, rather than from your front to your back.

Tip: Never start with your cups upside down and crushed against your body! I learned this way (thanks Mom) and it’s detrimental to your bras. Crushing the cups will dent their shape, then dragging it around your body will stretch out the band, and flipping the cups up to finally face outward warps and ruins the underwire. Yikes! Steer clear of the “crush and flip”, ladies!

Step 2: Rotate your bra Gently rotate your bra using the base of the cups (don’t yank at the straps or grab onto and squish your cups) so that your cups are in front of you, and the bra’s back closure is behind you.

Step 3: Lift your bra Gently lift your bra by the base of the cups (again, don’t yank the straps or crush the cups) so that your underwire is directly underneath your bust, and your breast tissue is filling the cups.

Step 4: Slip on your straps Be very careful not to stretch out your straps! Once your bra is up at your bust, slip each strap on one at a time.

Step 5: Adjust your cups Using the same method as above, use one hand to pull the wire back and your other hand to pull the breast tissue forward and into the cup. Adjust the wire so that it sits directly around your breast, and the top of the bra so that it sits flush with your breast tissue.Tip: I recommend trying out Method 1 first. This second method has a tendency to stretch out your bras faster. But it’s a great alternative for those that can’t reach around the back, or have arthritis.